Me = Nature

According to our friend Wiki, the word nature is derived from the latin word natura which means "essential qualities, innate disposition", and in ancient times, literally meant "birth". This process of birth is believed to have begun billions of years ago and led to the evolution of flora, fauna and other natural resources - the harnessed ones and the non-renewable ones. Over all these years, along with nature, the human species has developed to an unimaginable extent as well. The last 150 years has seen a series of new inventions, discoveries and breakthroughs. The question however, still remains - Does this really account for our development in the true sense of the word?

The human species, ever since its existence, has been thriving on mother earth. It has only utilized the earth as a resource to fulfill its needs and has never taken into consideration that NATURE and HUMANS are not separate entities. Each is dependent on the other for its balance. Most of the inventions, discoveries being used by the human race today have conveniently forgotten this truth. We have neglected the need of harnessing and utilizing resources or making new inventions keeping in mind questions like : Is it renewable? Is it eco-friendly? Supply vs Demand? Take for example the use of plastic or the use of coal & natural gas. The demand is many folds more than the natural supply in case of coal, while on the other hand, till a few years back the giant companies in the plastic industry had hardly given a thought to disposable (renewable) plastic. All these unanswered questions have piled up over the years to give rise to an alarming situation where we are finding bandages to problems rather than permanent solutions for these loop holes in technological advancements.

Again, looking at a different perspective, even though as a species we have developed ourselves to a superior level, we have miserably failed to balance this development at a satisfaction level. The development of the human mind has been at a much slower pace compared to the human brain. The need of the day is to raise our level of thought to understand that Me = Nature. Our Vedas have always reiterated this idea of oneness for centuries - "aham brahmasmi". However, over the years, living has become more of a question of competition; of a race; where Darwins' theory of Survival of the Fittest has been taken a level further to Survival of the Greediest.  

When technological advancements took place, the idea was to reduce human effort and have a work schedule of 3-4 days a week. However, along with these advancements the human desire to possess more (Greed - one of the Seven Deadly Sins) led to an ironic situation and to this day we see majority of the individuals (we being no different) working more than 8 hours a day and in excess of 5 days a week! Can we call this real development? Or have we rather complicated our own lives? My thought here is not against scientific development but more against having a chalta hai, humko thodi farak padega (its fine, 'I' am not getting affected) attitude towards the environment.

Our duty towards our fellowmen and future generations should be to preserve nature by figuring out eco-friendly and renewable solutions as much for the new discoveries as for the old ones (development of the brain) and at the same time, understanding the fine line between need and greed (development of the mind). Our lookout should also be to instill in the new generation (in school & at home) this higher thought of Eco-friendly Scientific Development and Living. Otherwise, soon we will be a part of the Guinness Book Of World Records for being the first intelligent species responsible for self destruction.

Let it begin with us. Be Responsible! Be Aware! Live Green...

Are you Conditioned?

This blog is a result of a long and fruitful discussion with one of my good friend - 'SC'. It was yet another Saturday afternoon - with a cup of Chai and some Indian snacks. Our conversation begun with a basic question of how we have grown up to encompass a set of thoughts and fears - a mixture of good, bad and a lot of question-mark (accepted) thoughts and fears which I will like to refer as "where-did-i-get-this-from" thoughts since we ourselves are unable to trace the origin of these - but somehow we still have them, consider them true and hold them close.

Let us begin by understanding the base reason for these unknown and "where-did-i-get-this-from" fears. Majority of the times these fears can be linked to what we call - conditioning. New to this idea of conditioning? Conditioning is defined as "a process of behavior modification by which a subject comes to associate a desired behavior with a previously unrelated stimulus". The following example (cited from Layton, Julia.  "How Fear Works"  13 September 2005) will help throw more light on the above definition - 

"In the 1920s, in what is probably not one of psychology's finest moments, American psychologist John Watson taught an infant to fear white rats. "Little Albert" had no fear of the laboratory's test animals. He showed joy at the sight of the white rats especially and always reached out for them. Watson and his assistant taught Albert to be terrified of white rats. They used Pavlovian (classical) conditioning, pairing a neutral stimulus (the rat) with a negative effect. Whenever Albert reached for one of the rats, they created a terrifyingly loud noise right behind the 11-month-old child. Not only did Albert very quickly learn to fear the white rats, crying and moving away whenever he saw one, but he also started to cry in the presence of other furry animals and a Santa Claus mask with a white beard."

In humans, the prominent source of conditioning is parents, peers, teachers and society. This is termed as "Social Conditioning". Such conditioning happens so naturally at a tender age, that we seldom realize. Many of the beliefs and fears we have today are inherited from our parents and teachers without we even choosing them. Some commonly inherited beliefs are politicians are bad, officers are corrupt, a superstition (kind of fear) that has been passed over the years or happiness is related to money and possession. Thus, the approach a parent takes towards his or her child plays a vital role in how a child behaves and perceives the world around him after he grow up. Just as positive qualities such as kindness and compassion are inherited so are the negatives like arrogance, fear, ego and pride.

As parents, we tend to think that we always act in the best interest of our children and believe that every caution statement we offer them from our own experience (or our own fears) we are empowering them and protecting them... but many a times in reality it works the other way round for the child since every caution serves the purpose of instilling a fear in them rather than getting rid of one. The "take care" (or you might fall - at the back of the mind) of a mother while her child rides the bicycle for the first time or takes its first steps, makes him feel the fear the mother caries inside her. Most of the times, the word of caution represents the fear inside a parent or a teacher of the child failing in a particular task.

A few things we can do as parents, teachers or peers are - 

• Giving a child the TRUE perspective of a situation rather than YOUR perspective. This means building the child's ability to understand and interpret what is good and what is bad for him rather than telling him what is good and what is not. Please note - I have used the words good and bad rather than right and wrong... Something that is right for an individual can be wrong for another but good and bad are many a times universal
• Avoid caution or fear statements
• Spending creative time with your children
• Teachers should provide an intellectually challenging environment for a student
• Discipline (to a reasonable extent... most of us over-do it)
• Lead by example

A few things we can do to find our own fears and deal with our "where-did-i-get-this-from" thoughts -

• Take responsibility of your own thoughts and actions rather than blame circumstances
• Question your beliefs and see if you get valid answers to them
• Go beyond your boundaries. You will find your real fears when you step out of your comfort zone
• Use a positive language. e.g. instead of "I will fail if I don't do this" use "I will succeed if I do this"
• Identify and study what fears you have, reasons for their existence and whether they are real or inherited unknowingly

 Before I conclude, I will like to tell you a story. I read it as a part of an email forward...

A man was passing a herd of elephants in a circus being held by a small rope tied to their front leg. There were no chains or cages. The elephants could easily break those ropes and run away. Confused, the man asked the trainer how the elephants managed to stay there and did not attempt to run away. “Well,” the trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it is enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

Just like these elephants, many of us are conditioned to inherit fears and beliefs unknowingly and we never try to break free from them. Have you discovered your fears? Have you found if you are living a conditioned life? Begin your quest today for a better tomorrow.

Cheers...

Follow your heart...

This is my second blog which begins with an explanation to a word we have used so often but misunderstood all the very more. I am talking about Education. The origin for Education rests in the latin term Educare which means to bring out that which is within. I have been pondering on this thought as I see people heartlessly pushing their resumes down the black-hole of online  portals for the most sought after software companies (the dream company as we engineers call it) like Google, Amazon and Microsoft. 

Is it really a dream job? Is it something they have always wanted to do? Is it something that was WITHIN them. If so, then why on earth don't I see the excitement, the energy, the passion on their faces of aiming for something that they have always cherished to have?? Are they really passionate about a career in technology or are they just following the masses? Just doing the same thing that everyone around them is doing. The purpose of education never was to create a mass who are money driven, blind followers of a talented few but was to bring together a set of people who in their own little world of work are passionate about what they do day-in and day-out. However from early school days, we are often directly or indirectly taught everything else but to follow our passion.... some of the guidelines we often get to hear from seniors, parents include pursue careers in Engineering or Medicine, go in a field where you can earn a lot of money, look at how well your friend scored in Mathematics... while a lucky few are blessed to hear the words - "Do what you really want to make out of your life! You should be proud when you turn around & look back." 

Learning & understanding what your passions in life are should be the first step. We need to listen to our innerself... let it guide us as a candle inside a dark tunnel and let our determination to reach our goal keep us motivated. Follow your dreams because at the end what will matter is not how much money you earned or if you were better than your peers in grades, but if you really lived and loved what you did for all this while.

Steve Jobs, the co-founder and former CEO of Apple passed away today, the 5th of October, 2011. He was 56. It is a sad day for all of us. He left us all completely changed in the way we look at technology, the way we look at life. I will like to dedicate this one to him, to a man who followed his heart, chased and lived his dreams and gifted the world a better tomorrow. A few words of wisdom from the genius visionary which will guide us for times immemorial -

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something -- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

Why am I here?

My Dear Friends,

Every blog I have read over these years, whatever genre it belongs to, has the first post from the blogger answering the ever so important question,"Why am I here?". Have we really answered the question ever or is it more of a thought to reflect than a question to answer. Today, my question to self is no different as I join the stream of individuals in this vast blogging world. 

If we take a deeper look we will see, this thought to self is what motivates us as individuals in every sphere of our lives - be it at work, at school or with family and friends. The thought itself is the first step in seeking answers to a whole new realm of unexplored thoughts.  'Why are we here' is what brings out the essence of each and every day and gives it a meaning. For me, the "title" of the blogspot is an apt answer to this "king thought" (as I will like to call it)- its all about "The Journey Within". A journey which each of us take at some point in our lives - to know where we came from, where we stand and what we look forward to, to understand if we are moving ahead in life with a sense of direction or is it just life that is happening to us while we continue to exist. Being a 'journey' defines it to be an act "in progress" - an act in the present continuous - an act within. Its the process of self evaluation which we undertake in the midst of the daily rat race we call 'life'.

The simple fact that at every stage in our lives we change the way we pursue and understand the very same set of things around us testifies the existence of this journey and our never ending pursuit to find an answer to this question. As insignificant it may seem now, the thought builds its importance as years pass by... Spare a moment for this "king thought" every single day and life will be more meaningful.

This is my first blog ever - constructive criticism and improvement tips are most welcome, so is some motivation and praise :) 

More coming soon from the world of "A"...